


Release

by zanthe



Series: Mechanics [6]
Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Comfort, Grief/Mourning, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:13:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24485674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zanthe/pseuds/zanthe
Summary: It was supposed to be a cheerful night out stargazing, but the past creeps up on Egil as Shulk shares an exciting new plan for adventure.
Relationships: Arglas/Egil (Xenoblade Chronicles), Egil & Shulk
Series: Mechanics [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767211
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	Release

**Author's Note:**

> Setting: 5-6 years after XBC Ends   
> I made myself sad!

It had been centuries since Egil had last gone stargazing. He could place the last time he’d done this as “The Very Last Good Day For Centuries To Come” as well, but that thought was depressing, and right now he wasn’t here to be depressed. On the contrary, it was a lovely evening, and he felt grateful Shulk had invited him out. 

Indeed, it was the perfect way for a pair of introverts to defuse after a long, stressful day of collaborative efforts. They were well into the fifth month of planning out new machinery for the Colonies, as well as a few improvements to Alcamoth’s infrastructure and repair, and Egil’s lab was frequently full of visitors from Colony 6 and Alcamoth, much to his disdain. 

Shulk worked better with people, so he took on most of the negotiations with Egil by his side to offer his own input. However, just because he was better with them, didn’t mean he particularly liked the task any more than Egil did. The Machina could tell by the tired look in his eyes, and by the long, heaving sighs after visiting hours were over. By the end of the day, Shulk had sat down at his table, foot tapping at the speed of light, pencil in the process of being chewed to a pulp, and had stared at the sheets of paper in front of him for a grand total of twenty seconds before he’d decided tonight would be better spent outside before he pulled his hair out. Egil was inclined to agree, and quick to take him up on the offer, equally stressed.

“Meet me by the lamp outside Dunban’s house in about an hour, I need to grab a few things.” Shulk had said before promptly dashing off. He almost tripped in his first steps, a wobble from standing so still all day, but was quick to regain balance and be out of sight in a brief moment.

Egil decided to do a little bit of cleanup before heading out himself, and began picking up scattered papers. He tried not to grind his teeth too hard when he found a few tufts of feathers, it was the beginning of molting season and not every High Entia could keep track of their plumage. Still, there was no denying it was irritating, and that the only reason he’d offered his laboratory for the meeting grounds of the project was because all the tools necessary were already here, and the furnace needed could not exactly be moved. It had taken three years to build, located a short walk away from Colony 6, near a cliff. There was a pit inside that churned molten metal similarly to the Central Factory, and he’d utilized the cliff as a way to vent out the heat without it going through the workshop itself. Sea water was pumped up to act as a cooling mechanism, and a mix of Homs and High Entia technology allowed it to be entirely self-sufficient. 

It had taken a lot of work, but Egil would sooner be caught dead than found not giving every project all he had to offer, even if it meant sacrificing bits of his sanity on occasion. He was unable to hold in a yawn as he finished tidying up, mentally cursing his exhaustion. By now he only had around thirty minutes to walk all the way to Colony 9 on time, but he knew Shulk wasn’t the type to fuss over being a few minutes late. The Homs would likely be running late himself, truth be told, so there was no point worrying about it. 

As he got closer, he could spot Shulk nearby, half dozed-off leaning under the ether lamp. He had a backpack by his feet and wore his hood up, though as Egil approached he noticed he was not half-asleep, but rather entirely asleep. “Shulk.” He shook the Hom’s shoulder, “wake up.”

“Huh…?” Shulk jolted awake, blinking up at him and straightening himself. “Oh! Sorry, did I doze off?” 

Egil frowned, “Would it be best if we went home to sleep? You look terrible, my friend.” 

Shulk rubbed his eyes and bit back a yawn, “No, I’m fine, the walk’ll wake me back up. I’d hate to make you walk all the way here just to turn you away.” He stretched, and Egil winced when his joints popped, but made no comment. “Let’s go!” Shulk smiled, picking up his backpack and leading the way across the bridge and into the field. Egil marveled at how quickly Homs seemed to regain their energy. 

The whole trek up the cliff, they stayed within the range of Colony 9’s light, and by now the sun was dipping beneath the horizon. An odd event, even after four years it was still weird to Egil, watching the celestial bodies move across the sky. The shadows would change their directions, and on the days of the solstice they would sometimes even disappear entirely. Seasons were odd as well, it was the beginning of spring, and he was thankful for it. Winter made his joints ache, and it was too much of a bother to be constantly doing maintenance to ensure they didn’t. 

The wisps were starting to wake up, they noticed on their walk. Crickets began to chirp, cicadas quieted down, and a few of the crepuscular birds began to sing. Shulk stood still for a moment, watching the last of the setting sun, and Egil did the same, enjoying the sight of the Colony basked in orange light and warm hues. It was beautiful, and it was an experience like no other, getting to be a part of rebuilding what he’d damaged. The first few years had been nerve-wracking, but for the most part the community was welcoming to the thought of moving on, together, and Shulk and his friends were a large part of that.

For a brief period of time, the entire world had been unified in the cause to defeat Zanza. With his defeat, not a soul could be expected to forgive, but Egil wasn’t searching for forgiveness. He sought to atone, and do his best to ease the suffering he’d caused, to improve the lives of all he’d damaged. Whether or not they forgave him was their own matter to deal with. 

Shulk looked back at him, gesturing with his head to follow as he resumed walking, and before long they reached their destination. One of the tallest points of the cliffs surrounding Colony 9, without anything to obstruct the view of the night sky. Egil hadn’t been paying much attention before, but as the sky faded to a dark indigo, he found himself breathless beneath it. 

Not a single cloud could be seen across the horizon, and the darker the sky got the more adorned it became with stars. The moon was rising in the distance, and he could barely make out the light from Colony 6 not too far off. Next to him, Shulk was unfurling a blanket on the floor to sit down, and patting a spot next to him for Egil to sit as well. From the looks of it, his backpack had contained a small ether lamp, the surprisingly big blanket (how had he fit this in there?), water, a handful of snacks, and a notebook that Egil sighed at.

“I thought we were here to get away from work?” He muttered as he sat down beside Shulk, casting a weary glance at the notebook. Shulk snatched it up, flipping through a few pages.

“We are!” He assured, holding the book out for him to see, “I’ve been charting the stars in my free time for a couple of months now, they move a little bit every night, it’s really interesting.”

“Do they?” Egil asked, intrigued now.

Shulk nodded, “They return to their place after a year, it seems, but there’s different visible constellations depending on the time of day, month, and season.” He flipped through the notebook for more examples, and Egil hummed thoughtfully as he saw them. “What I’m curious to know is if they change based on where you are, too. I need to plan them out here first, but it could be useful for more detailed navigation in the future.” 

“I see,” Egil said, taking in the stream of information and staring wistfully at the stars. “I never would have thought to look to the stars for guidance.” Shulk smiled at that.

“I’ve been trying to come up with a way to know how to get back home for a while now. This new world is so vast, and I want to explore every inch of it. Even the Shoulder wasn’t that far off, but no one’s really gone further beyond. I want to know what’s out there,” Shulk leaned forward, a twinkle in his eyes, “Once I figure out the navigation, finished up my course in cartography, and we’ve completed our work here, would you like to come with me?” 

That was a difficult question, and it left Egil staring down at Shulk in complete shock. He blinked slowly, baffled and speechless, and clearly Shulk noticed, as he backpedaled suddenly. 

“Sorry!” he winced, “that was really out of the blue, huh? You don’t have to answer that yet, I know we’re both still busy with the Alcamoth project, and your to-do list is probably miles long, and…” Shulk prattled on, anxiously filling the silence with words Egil wasn’t fully processing anymore. 

No, his mind was elsewhere entirely. Centuries of putting his emotions behind a floodgate and distancing himself from heartache had been slowly eased away over the last few years in a steady trickle, but now, the passion in Shulk’s voice, the longing for discovery, for knowledge, and that hopeful, expectant look he’d given him, sitting here together under a beautiful sky… it was too much like  _ him.  _ Too much like Arglas.

Shulk stopped talking suddenly, and Egil’s vision blurred for an instant, clearing when he blinked. When he felt liquid on his cheeks he realized he was crying, and his body felt cold with heartache. 

“Egil?” Shulk whispered, reaching for his hand and holding it in his own. “Egil, are you ok?” 

Egil blinked again, trying to find the words, and resorted to shaking his head in a pathetic ‘no.’ Shulk’s grip on his hand tightened, and he pulled himself closer, trying to comfort the Machina as best he could. 

“Take your time,” he assured, rubbing little circles into the palm of Egil’s hand with his thumb. They sat quietly as Egil regained his composure between suppressed sobs and hissed breaths. 

“I’m sorry,” Egil murmured. He let himself lean closer to Shulk, but avoided looking at him. “You remind me so much of him. Of Arglas,” he specified quickly when he felt Shulk begin to pull his hand away. 

“Arglas…” Shulk echoed, “I remember you mentioning him at the core of the Mechonis.” 

“Yes,” he breathed, “he was my closest friend,” Egil smiled weakly, “maybe a little more than ‘friend.’ I… loved him,” he choked out, “we would talk for hours on end, about anything and everything.” He paused for a moment, and Shulk gave his arm a pat and nodded for him to continue. Egil gave him a grateful blink. “He loved to philosophise, and much like you he had a passion for adventure that I admired. He inspired a curiosity in me I’d never had before, I’ve always been a homebody, our meeting was by pure chance. The last time I saw him was a night like this.” Shulk’s grip on his hand tightened as he continued, “We were staring at the sky together, and he was telling me about his hopes for the future. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, then.’ Was the last thing I ever said to him.” 

Egil felt… hollow, suddenly. Staring down at the blanket beneath him, watching warm teardrops fall, leaving dark stains on the fabric. 

“You never saw him again…” Shulk frowned, voice a sorrowful whisper. Egil shook his head and leaned against him a bit, letting his presence soothe him a little. He hadn’t spoken to anyone about this, ever, and finally letting it out was cathartic, despite the pain. They sat together for a long time as Egil finally let it all out, crying until he couldn’t anymore. “What else did he like?” Shulk asked, and Egil thought for a moment, raking his mind to remember.

“He had a love for red flowers, and all manners of wildlife. Taking in the midday light, enjoying the scenery. Arglas was very in tune with the life on Bionis.” Egil felt himself smile a little at the memory, Arglas going on and on about his discoveries on botany. 

Shulk was quiet for a few minutes, “I don’t know if it would help you, but would you like to build a memorial for him?” 

“A memorial?” Egil questioned.

“Yes,” Shulk explained, “when one of our loved ones dies, we Homs like to build memorials for them, graves of sorts, but because usually there’s no body to bury since returning one to the Bionis involves returning as pure ether, we pick out a spot they would have liked, and leave offerings there when visiting. Things they liked, or that remind us of them.” 

“I see,” Egil closed his eyes in contemplation before looking down at Shulk once more. “Yes, I think that would be wonderful.” Shulk smiled up at him.

“Great. We can go to Colony 9 tomorrow to find some nice flowers, and I’ll come with you to look for a perfect spot.” Shulk spoke warmly, and Egil nodded at him, choked up with emotion once more.

A few more minutes later he finally responded, voice soft with gratitude, “Shulk, thank you. From both of us. I think my heart can finally be at ease, now.” 

Shulk tugged him into a hug that he happily reciprocated, “You’re more than welcome. And if there’s anything else I can do for you, let me know, alright?” 

“I will, thank you.” 


End file.
